sell out
Britishverb
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Also (chiefly Brit): sell up. to dispose of (supplies of something) completely by selling
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informal (tr) to betray, esp through a secret agreement
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informal (intr) to abandon one's principles, standards, etc
noun
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informal a performance for which all tickets are sold
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a commercial success
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informal a betrayal
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informal a person who betrays their principles, standards, friends, etc
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Dispose of entirely by selling. For example, The rancher finally sold out to the oil company , or The tickets to the concert were sold out a month ago . [Late 1700s]
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Betray one's cause or colleagues, as in He sold out to the other side . [ Slang ; late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dozens of games have yet to sell out, notably Team USA’s game against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
Bands like Health can sell out the Palladium, electronic body music thrives on dance floors and Nine Inch Noize was a favorite at Coachella.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
The spike in popularity has caused Schylling, the North Andover, Mass.-based maker of NeeDoh, to sell out of all its inventory in six weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Everyone underestimates Ashley’s intelligence and Austin’s willingness to sell out justice to ensure they’ll get ahead.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
